Murder in Successville

Last updated

Murder in Successville
Genre Comedy
Created byAndy Brereton
Avril Spary
Directed byJames de Frond
Starring Tom Davis
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes18 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducersAndy Brereton
Ed Sleeman
Running time30 minutes (approx)
Production company Tiger Aspect Productions
Original release
Network BBC Three
Release6 May 2015 (2015-05-06) 
24 May 2017 (2017-05-24)

Murder in Successville is a British sitcom with improvisational elements created by Andy Brereton and Avril Spary. The series aired on BBC Three from 6 May 2015 to 24 May 2017. Murder in Successville stars Tom Davis as DI Desmond Sleet who is partnered with a guest celebrity every episode to solve a murder. [1] The cast of every episode includes impersonations of various celebrities who live in the fictional Successville.

Contents

Celebrities are transposed into fictional versions that fit into the setting of Successville, such as Alan Carr who in Successville's universe is a mobster and brother to Jimmy Carr. Liam Hourican appears as Police Chief Gordon Ramsay in each episode, introducing the guest celebrity at the start and revealing whether they have picked the correct killer at each episode's conclusion.

Cast

Celebrities who have participated include Jamie Laing, Greg James, Deborah Meaden, Dermot O'Leary, Chris Kamara, Richard Osman and Martin Kemp.

All episodes are set in the modern day, except the series 3 episode with Martin Kemp, who travelled back in time to the first murder in Successville.

ActorRole(s)
Tom Davis DI Sleet
Liam Hourican Gordon Ramsay, Simon Cowell
Luke Kempner Alan Carr, Brian Cox, Andy Murray, Russell Brand, Daniel Radcliffe, Tom Daley, Jeremy Kyle, Arsène Wenger, Declan Donnelly, Bear Grylls
Cariad Lloyd Darcey Bussell, Justin Bieber, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Miley Cyrus, Angela Merkel, Claudia Winkleman, Hillary Clinton
Colin Hoult Gary Barlow, Jimmy Carr, Ian McKellen, David Tennant, Anthony McPartlin, Adrian Chiles, Piers Morgan
Jenny Bede Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift
Tony Way Harry Styles, Paul Hollywood, Jamie Oliver
Rachel Parris Lady Gaga, Sarah Millican, Tess Daly
Marie Lawrence Lana Del Rey, Kim Kardashian, Lorraine Kelly, Paloma Faith, Sharon Osbourne, Neil - DI Sleet’s Sister in Law
Jason Lewis Barack Obama, Jay Z, Kanye West
Harry Peacock Niall Horan
Frances Barber Mary Berry
Nick Mohammed Dynamo
Marek Larwood Boris Johnson
Ricky Grover Lord Alan Sugar
Tom Stourton Vladimir Putin, Neil - DI Sleet's brother
Joseph Morpurgo Shia LaBeouf
Yasmine Akram Nigella Lawson
Justin Edwards Jeremy Clarkson
Paul Kaye Louis Walsh
Kerry Howard Katy Perry, Madonna
Ellie White Cara Delevingne, Björk
Neil Maskell Frankie Boyle
Doc Brown Lewis Hamilton
Paul Whitehouse Len Goodman
Kevin Bishop John Bishop
Jess Robinson Lily Allen
Tom Meeten Richard Hammond
Renton Skinner Bob Geldof
Gemma Whelan Adele
Nico Tatarowicz Sid Lowecroft
Jamie Demetriou Zayn Malik
Tom Bennett Conor McGregor, Michael McIntyre
Terry Mynott Bill Nighy, Jonathan Ross, David Walliams
Perry Fitzpatrick Phil Neville
Samson Kayo will.i.am
Leo ArmstrongDarren Lowecroft
Tim GrewcockCult leader
Nick OramCult leader
Jessica Kennedy Venus Williams
Dominique Moore Serena Williams
Lydia Fraser Beyoncé

Episodes

Series overview

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 66 May 201510 June 2015
2 615 June 201620 July 2016
3 619 April 201724 May 2017

Series 1 (2015)

Episode
no.
TitleGuest starOriginal air dateUK viewers
(in millions)
1"The Mob" Jamie Laing 6 May 2015 (2015-05-06)TBA
When Bruno Tonioli is murdered, DI Sleet and new recruit Jamie Laing must interview Tonioli's ex-wife Darcey Bussell and explore the underworld of Successville's mobs headed by the Carr twins (Jimmy and Alan), and their rivals Harry Styles and his One Direction gang.
2"Bunch of Cults" Greg James 13 May 2015 (2015-05-13)TBA
When Reese Witherspoon is found murdered, Greg James teams up with DI Sleet to uncover the culprit. Reverend Gary Barlow, Justin Bieber and Mary Berry are all suspects in the case.
3"Dead, Rich and Famous" Deborah Meaden 20 May 2015 (2015-05-20)TBA
A call to Lady Gaga's mansion over a case of topiary vandalism soon leads to the discovery of a murder and its time for new recruit Deborah Meaden to partner with DI Sleet and discover whether Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Jay-Z, Boris Johnson or Nicki Minaj is responsible.
4"Mayor the Force Be with You" Dermot O'Leary 27 May 2015 (2015-05-27)TBA
The murder of Amanda Holden leads DI Sleet and Dermot O'Leary to discover that Mayor Simon Cowell has been kidnapped. Miley Cyrus, Jessie J and Alan Sugar are all suspects and its up to O'Leary to find the culprit.
5"Dr Death" Kimberly Wyatt 3 June 2015 (2015-06-03)TBA
DI Sleet tries to track down a killer at Successville Hospital with the help of guest star Kimberley Wyatt. This week's murder suspects include Nurse Adele, Doctor Obama and surgeon Bob Geldof.
6"Orangefinger" Louis Smith 10 June 2015 (2015-06-10)TBA
The detectives learn that pharmacist Lindsay Lohan has been spray-tanned to death, before tonight's beauty pageant organized by businessman Russell Brand, a pageant in which Sleet and gym owner Vladimir Putin are judges, and psychopathic killer Kim Kardashian is a contestant. Forensic pathologist Richard Hammond shows them the body and journalist Lily Allen is murdered during the case.

Series 2 (2016)

Episode
no.
TitleGuest starOriginal air dateUK viewers
(in millions)
1 (7)"Vigilante" Vicky Pattison 15 June 2016 (2016-06-15)TBA
On his birthday, Sleet's arrested for the murder of Nick Knowles' when the body is discovered in the detective's car. Rookie cop Vicky Pattison breaks him out and together they hunt the real killer. Interrogating politician Len Goodman, breaking into Sleet's former lover's apartment (Lorraine Kelly) and questioning Sleet's rival Lewis Hamilton.
2 (8)"Miranda" Mark Wright 22 June 2016 (2016-06-22)TBA
DI Sleet and Mark Wright visit Daniel Radcliffe to find out who is dealing a new drug, nicknamed 'Miranda'. Radcliffe is killed so they start their investigation by going undercover to interrogate biker gang leader Paul Hollywood at a bar. Mark heads to Successville's most notorious drug lord Frankie Boyle's house to interrogate him, before finally heading into Scumville to question low-life druggies Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
3 (9)"A Horse Called Alan" Chris Kamara 29 June 2016 (2016-06-29)TBA
DI Sleet and Chris Kamara discover that Sleet's close friend, Successville's most successful race horse, Alan Shearer has been murdered. Jockey Tom Daley points them to suspects, promoter John Bishop, model Cara Delevingne, and Sheik Kanye West.
4 (10)"Incognito" George Shelley 6 July 2016 (2016-07-06)TBA
D.I Sleet and George Shelley investigate the murder of the hacker Ed Sheeran. Suspects include tech CEO Shia LaBeouf, DeathCorp honcho Sarah Millican and banker Jeremy Kyle.
5 (11)"Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" Emma Bunton 13 July 2016 (2016-07-13)TBA
This week DI Sleet is joined by Spice Girl Emma Bunton, investigating the death of James May, a cop from North Successville. May's police partner Jeremy Clarkson explains the details of the crime, while Sleet takes a shine to Chief of Police Nigella Lawson. Suspects include Fisherman Ian McKellen, cafe owner Katy Perry and wild man Louis Walsh.
6 (12)"Memoirs"'Clip Show', Jamie Laing 20 July 2016 (2016-07-20)TBA
Sleet reflectively takes us through his colourful memoirs as we see previously unseen moments from his life as a cop.

Series 3 (2017)

Episode
no.
TitleGuest starOriginal air dateUK viewers
(in millions)
1 (13)"The Brass Gnome" Richard Osman 19 April 2017 (2017-04-19)TBA
A piece of art is stolen, and Björk is murdered in the process. DI Sleet teams up with Richard Osman to investigate Arsène Wenger, Hillary Clinton, and Zayn Malik, with things coming to a head at an illegal art auction run by Bill Nighy.
2 (14)"A Murder in Ye Olde Successville" Martin Kemp 26 April 2017 (2017-04-26)TBA
Sleet travels back in time with Martin Kemp to investigate the death of lady of the night Rita Ora. Forensic pathologist Conor McGregor points them to suspects, brothel madam Paloma Faith, Professor will.i.am, and posh gentlemen Jamie Oliver and Jonathan Ross.
3 (15)"I Saw a Monster!" Lorraine Kelly 3 May 2017 (2017-05-03)TBA
Sleet teams up with Lorraine Kelly to investigate the death of reporter Harry Hill, and sighting of a radioactive monster. When clues on Hill's body point them towards Hill's ex girlfriend Madonna, hillbillies Ant and Dec, and sinister factory owner David Walliams, things take a turn for the worse.
4 (16)"A Nest of Vipers" Reggie Yates 10 May 2017 (2017-05-10)TBA
Sleet and Yates investigate the murder of undercover detective Noel Edmonds. They make a side trip to Sharon Osbourne's Bandeoke night, before heading to an assassin's conference where they investigate paid killers the Williams sisters and hitman Adrian Chiles.
5 (17)"A Rat's Tale" Professor Green 17 May 2017 (2017-05-17)TBA
Sleet and Green hunt down the killer of Commissioner Bear Grylls with the help of their alter egos, Rattman and Dormouse. A note left from the Commissioner points them to tech millionaire Piers Morgan, reporter Beyoncé, and Police Chief Gordon Ramsay.
6 (18)"The Big Sleet"[Clip Show]24 May 2017 (2017-05-24)TBA
Sleet must make his hardest decision yet. With some self-reflection on his past adventures, he must decide which persona to turn his back on forever, Rattman or Cop.

American adaptation

In January 2022, it was announced that Netflix would be making an American adaptation of the series, titled Murderville. Murderville does away with the original series' concept of all the town residents being celebrity impersonations; instead, the townspeople (including all the murder suspects) are simply fictional characters. [2]

The Netflix adaptation is produced by and stars Will Arnett as the character senior detective Terry Seattle and features guest stars Conan O'Brien, Annie Murphy, Ken Jeong, Kumail Nanjiani, Marshawn Lynch and Sharon Stone. All six episodes of Murderville premiered on 3 February 2022. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>House of Cards</i> (British TV series) 1990 British television serial

House of Cards is a 1990 British political thriller television serial in four episodes, set after the end of Margaret Thatcher's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was televised by the BBC from 18 November to 9 December 1990. Released to critical and popular acclaim for its writing, direction, and performances, it is considered one of the greatest British television shows ever made.

<i>French and Saunders</i> Television series

French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC2 from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act. The show was given one of the highest budgets in BBC history to create detailed spoofs and satires of popular culture, movies, celebrities, and art. French and Saunders continued to film holiday specials for the BBC, and both have been individually successful starring in other shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Hill</span> English comedian (born 1964)

Matthew Keith Hall, known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performance style that fused elements of surrealism, observational comedy, slapstick, satire and music. When performing, he usually wears browline glasses and a dress shirt with a distinctive oversized collar and cuffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carr</span> British-Irish comedian and television presenter

James Anthony Patrick Carr is a British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer, and actor. He is known for his deadpan delivery of controversial one-liners, for which he has been both praised and criticised. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regularly appeared on television as the host of Channel 4 panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Arnett</span> Canadian-American actor and comedian (born 1970)

William Emerson Arnett is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. In television, Arnett played Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix series Arrested Development and as the titular character in the Netflix series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020). He has appeared in films such as Let's Go to Prison (2006), Blades of Glory (2007), Semi-Pro (2008), G-Force (2009), Jonah Hex (2010), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016), and Show Dogs (2018).

<i>Midsomer Murders</i> British television detective drama series

Midsomer Murders is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the Chief Inspector Barnaby book series, and broadcast on two channels of ITV since its premiere on 23 March 1997. The series focuses on various murder cases that take place within small country villages across the fictional English county of Midsomer, and the efforts of the senior police detective and his partner within the fictional Midsomer Constabulary to solve the crime by determining who the culprit is and the motive for their actions. It identifies itself differently from other detective dramas often by featuring a mixture of lighthearted whimsy and dark humour, as well as a notable soundtrack that includes the use of a theremin for the show's theme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Kaye</span> English actor and comedian

Paul Kaye is an English comedian and actor. He is known for his portrayals of shock interviewer Dennis Pennis on The Sunday Show, New York lawyer Mike Strutter on MTV's Strutter, Thoros of Myr in HBO's Game of Thrones, and Vince the fox on the BBC comedy Mongrels.

<i>Extras</i> (TV series) British TV sitcom (2005–2007)

Extras is a British sitcom about extras working in television, film, and theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and was written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom starred in it. Extras follows the lives of Andy Millman (Gervais), his friend Maggie Jacobs and Andy's substandard agent and part-time retail employee Darren Lamb (Merchant) as Millman muddles through life as an anonymous "background performer" who eventually finds success as a B-list sitcom star.

The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and double entendre.

<i>The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries</i> American television series

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries is an American television mystery series based on the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew juvenile novels. The series, which ran from January 30, 1977, to January 14, 1979, was produced by Glen A. Larson from Universal Television for ABC. Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy starred as amateur detective brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, respectively, while Pamela Sue Martin starred as amateur sleuth Nancy Drew.

<i>Benidorm</i> (British TV series) British TV sitcom (2007–2018)

Benidorm is a British sitcom written and created by Derren Litten and produced by Tiger Aspect for ITV that aired for ten series from 1 February 2007 until 2 May 2018. The series features an ensemble cast of holiday makers and staff at the Solana all-inclusive hotel in Benidorm, Spain over the course of a week each year.

<i>Death in Paradise</i> (TV series) Crime drama television series

Death in Paradise is a British–French crime comedy drama television series created by Robert Thorogood, starring Ben Miller, Kris Marshall, Ardal O'Hanlon and Ralf Little.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Shelley (singer)</span> English singer and presenter

George Paul Shelley is an English singer, actor and presenter, and an ex-member of the boy band Union J.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Kemp</span> English musician and actor

Martin John Kemp is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in EastEnders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Davis (actor)</span> British actor and comedian (born 1979)

Tom Davis is an English actor and comedian best known for his role as DI Sleet in the BBC Three comedy Murder in Successville, and as Gary King (Jr) in the BBC sitcom King Gary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Parris</span> English comedian (born 1984)

Rachel Sarah Parris is an English comedian, musician, actress and presenter. She hosts the satirical news show Late Night Mash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snatch Game</span> Recurring challenge within the Drag Race franchise

The Snatch Game is a challenge on the Drag Race reality competition television franchise. Beginning with the second season of the original American series RuPaul's Drag Race, the challenge has taken place on every season since. It has also occurred on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars since season 2, both seasons of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race, and on the Thai, British, Canadian, Dutch, Australian-New Zealand, Spanish, Italian, French, Filipino, Belgian, Swedish, Mexican, Brazilian, and German international installments. The Snatch Game typically parodies the game show Match Game and is a test of the contestants' skills at celebrity impersonation and improvisational comedy.

<i>Murderville</i> Comedic murder-mystery television series

Murderville is an American comedic murder-mystery television series with improvised elements developed by Krister Johnson for Netflix. The series is based on the BBC Three television series Murder in Successville. Murderville premiered on February 3, 2022 with the release of all six episodes of the first season.

Luke Garrod Kempner is an English impressionist, comedian and actor. After appearing in various films and musicals, he established a career in comedy, developing his own stand-up comedy show, and has since appeared as an impressionist on numerous sketch shows including Newzoids (2016), Tracey Ullman's Show (2017), Murder in Successville (2017), Spitting Image (2020–2021), The Last Leg (2021) and Deep Fake Neighbour Wars (2023), as well as appearing regularly on Big Brother's Bit on the Side (2016–2018).

References

  1. Downes, Jade (2 February 2015). "BBC Three takes a trip to 'Successville'". Tiger Aspect Productions . Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  2. Rose, Lacey (13 January 2022). "Will Arnett, Netflix Team for Improvised, Star-Packed Whodunnit (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  3. Leston, Ryan (14 January 2022). "Will Arnett Stars In a New Netflix Murder Mystery With an Improv Twist". IGN . Retrieved 21 January 2022.